The Dodger starters are 11th in MLB ERA (3.68), while the relievers are 12th (3.64). Overall, the Dodgers rank 10th in MLB Team ERA (3.66). That has prompted much speculation by fans as to the Dodgers needing to trade for bullpen help. As usual, many fans have sight but lack vision. All over the blogosphere, some Dodger fans suggest that the Dodgers need a closer as Evan Phillips is 8-8 in save opportunities, and his 0.71 ERA is not good enough. They see a shiny object and want that… “and they want it now!” Silliness is what it is.
We go through this every year. Fans write ad nauseum about the bullpen’s deficiencies only to have to munch on a heaping helping of crow. The Dodgers’ bullpen went from a massive liability to a strength throughout the 2023 season. The relievers had a 5.05 ERA through the first 23 games of the season. It was still 4.98 in mid-June, and only the woeful Oakland A’s had a higher bullpen ERA. Bill Plunkett of the OC Register wrote this:
But things turned around from there and the Dodgers’ bullpen was one of the best in baseball over the final three months of the season. Ryan Brasier was released by the Boston Red Sox in late May but had a 0.70 ERA in 39 games with the Dodgers. Brusdar Graterol had the best season of his career, going 4-2 with a 1.20 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in a career-high 68 games. Joe Kelly was re-acquired at the trade deadline and allowed just three hits while striking out 19 in 10⅓ innings back in a Dodger uniform. After a slow start, Evan Phillips regained his form and eventually settled in as the closer, converting 24 of 27 save situations.
So, here we are – the Dodgers are 19-12, and fans are pining for the flavor of the week, but look at what the Dodgers have in the wings:
- Dustin May – That could be a shot in the arm.
- Conner Brogden – Back in June or July.
- Nabil Crismatt – Jury is still out.
- JP Feyereisen – Give him time. He used to be lethal.
- River Ryan – He is out with shoulder fatigue and is expected to return in June.
- Kyle Hurt – Also shoulder issues.
- Tony Gonsolin – He could pitch out of the pen at the seasons end.
- Brusdar Graterol – Best reliever last year.
- Clayton Kershaw – He’s a starter. Why list him here? Because it will add to the depth.
- Bobby Miller – Back soon.
- Nick Ramirez – Maybe the LH option?
- Emmet Sheehan – Late season.
- Blake Treinen – Any gas left?
- Ricky Vanasco –
- John Rooney – He will be up.
The Dodgers don’t have to go outside the organization. Ryan Brasier was rounding into form until he suffered the calf injury. He’ll be back soon enough, but I don’t understand how an injury to a baby cow affects his throwing. 😉 Even Joe Kelly is throwing 100 MPH and looking good. The Dodgers don’t need any more stinking pitching! Doc is just letting the team play right about now. In jockey parlance, he will “go to the whip” down the stretch.
Thank You!
Thank you for all the e-mails and kind words yesterday. I appreciate it very much. I’d also like to apologize to my detractors: “Sorry if I offended you, but F______ you if I did. Just go away!” Back to Dodger baseball.
Dodger Shorts
- The bullpen and the bottom of the lineup rocked last night.
- Is Andy Pages taking over in CF, making Outman the proverbial 4th or 5th outfielder (just like I said)?
- Kike Hernandez: .278 against LH Pitching.
- Is it too early to push Andy Pages for NL ROY?
- Aaron Hicks was 8 for 57 (.140) with the Angels when they DFA’ed him yesterday. Chris Taylor is 3-48 (.063). Just saying…
Minor League Stuff
SUNDAY:
Later this week, I will have a column on possible minor league call ups.
Discussion (26)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I hate losing to the Diamondbacks almost as much as I hate losing to San Diego and the Giants. This was a winnable game. Ohtani failed once again in a clutch situation with runners in scoring position. His at bat in the 10th inning was awful. He needs to take lessons from Freeman on being more selective. Lux is doing the same thing. Taylor pulled after one at bat. His time in LA is coming to a close. Muncy needs to cut down his swing with two strikes. Betts is hitless in this series.
Great close game tonight. I love the Joe Kelly experience, wish we had a few more edgy loose cannons like him to shake things up a bit. You just never know with that dude, , but don’t get too comfortable in the batters box!
Buehler 5 innings 7 hits 1 run 1 earned run 5 strikeouts and no walks over 75 pitches. Sounds like he might be ready to be activated. Do the Dodgers go to a 6 man rotation or does one of Knaack or Stone go down. My preference would be to go to a 6 man rotation. Stone and Knaack have pitched well enough lately to get a chance to stick with the big club.
This can’t bee happening.
The second half of Trout’s career is looking very much like Pujol’s
For those who believe the glass is always half full, try being an Angels fan. Mike Trout just went down with a torn meniscus. Things are not as bad as they seem in Dodgers land. Things could be worse. A lot worse!
Go Dodgers!!!
Angels outfielder Mike Trout requires knee surgery, per Alden González and Jeff Passan of ESPN. Angels general manager Perry Minasian says it’s for a torn meniscus, per González. It’s in his left knee, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The club hasn’t provided a timetable but expect Trout back this season.
9:40 PM ET
Dodgers (19-12)
Diamondbacks (13-17)
SP Landon Knack R
1-1 3.27 ERA
SP J. Montgomery L
1-1 2.77 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
RF T. Hernandez R
3B E. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
2B Miguel Rojas R
LF Chris Taylor R
In Domed Stadium
Andy Pages has very fast hands, he has a hook or golfer’s swing, that type of swing kills pitches at waist-to-knee height, but they have problems, due to the nature of that swing, with the fastball at the height from the waist to the letters, that also happens with left-handed hitters because most have a golfer’s swing, but Pages has made an adjustment and it has resulted in only one strikeout in the last few games, before that he already accumulated 10 strikeouts in a few games. Pages’ adjustment is that on high pitches at waist height to the letters he is making a flatter, more level swing and is reaching everything that is thrown at him and the strikeouts have disappeared, in a few games Pages has done a huge advance in his swing and that will lead him to be an everyday player in MLB.
I agree with you comments about the bullpen. Maybe we end up needing to make a trade but it is way too early to even be thinking about that yet. Give the pitchers we have a chance. By the same token it’s too early to start talking about Pages for ROY. He hasn’t drawn a walk yet. Let’s see what happens when pitchers adjust to him. Does anyone know if Vargas has been playing and 2B in the minors? At some point the team will need to make a decision on Lux and I wonder if Vargas would be given a shot? Lux has been hitting well the last week so maybe he’s starting to get in a groove. I don’t think getting moved off of SS helped.
I love baseball:
https://x.com/cjzero/status/1784714792780832849?s=46
It scares me everytime I see Kelly come into the game. But I have to think it scares the players that actually have to stand in the box and watch those 100 mph heat seeking missles come at them even more.
Here’s Houston Mitchell’s Free Newsletter:
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and it seems like just a week ago the Dodgers were a miserable team with no chance of even making the postseason.
Here we are almost a quarter into the season, so it seems a good time to get a different perspective on the Dodgers.
I reached out to my colleague, our Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris, who answered some questions while on a plane from Toronto to Phoenix. It’s always good to get some alternate viewpoints, and there are few better than Jack. Any numbers or rankings mentioned are through Sunday’s games.
Enjoying this newsletter?
Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a Los Angeles Times subscriber.
Q. Here we are 31 games into the season. What would you say is the biggest strength and biggest weakness on this team?
Harris: The Dodgers’ biggest strength? There are four of them: Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith.
No other team in baseball has a better quartet topping their lineup. No other club has had a group nearly as productive through the first month of the season.
Through Sunday, Betts leads MLB in hitting, just ahead of Smith. Betts also leads in OPS, with Ohtani ranking fourth. Freeman is off to the slowest start, and he is batting .306.
Of course, winning games, especially come fall, requires much more than four star hitters.
But possessing such firepower is a prerequisite for success. And just as the club hoped, their group is living up to — and probably surpassing — expectations so far.
As for a weakness: The depth of the pitching staff, rotation-wise and in the bullpen.
Tyler Glasnow has been great. Evan Phillips too. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is perhaps turning a corner, as well.
But the Dodgers’ pitching depth drops off quickly behind them — especially given the team’s mounting number of pitcher injuries.
Q. Betts hasn’t missed a beat on offense since moving to shortstop. How would you say he has done defensively? And would you say the Dodgers are content with him at short all season?
Harris: I’d say he’s been fine, given the circumstances.
His four errors are the fourth most among MLB shortstops. While he can make spectacular plays, he makes routine blunders too.
Still, for a player new to the position at this level (or any level past high school), he is holding his own — and actually ranks third among MLB shortstops in defensive runs saved.
As for the future, I think the club still wants a larger sample before deciding how to proceed. It’s possible Betts stays there all year. It’s also possible Andrew Friedman explores shortstops at the deadline. With time, more clarity should come.
Q. If you don’t mind, three injury updates and when you think they will be back: Jason Heyward, Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen.
Harris: Blake Treinen is closest to returning, but it likely won’t be this week, Dave Roberts said. While Treinen has giving up runs in all three of his rehab appearances, the team has gotten positive reports on how he is progressing. His next outing will be Wednesday.
Jason Heyward seemed to be progressing last week, but then was paused from baseball activities again because of continued discomfort in his back. Roberts said he is “still a ways away,” and acknowledged Heyward’s recovery is taking “longer than we all anticipated.”
Brusdar Graterol’s return date is even more uncertain. He tried to start a throwing program, then got shut down again because of soreness. The team is still fully expecting Graterol back at some point, but Roberts said it will be a “long program” before he returns to action.
Q. Chris Taylor has been responsible for some great moments in Dodgers history. No one can ever take that away from him. But he is struggling big time right now. How long do the Dodgers stick with him?
Harris: The quick context on Taylor: He attempted a swing change this offseason, trying to return to the “feels” he used when he first joined the Dodgers.
But it’s already clear it didn’t work, and now he’s trying to adjust on the fly.
Because of that, the Dodgers could give him some runway to figure things out — especially with Heyward’s return still not imminent.
The team likes his versatility, and hasn’t given up hope he can resurrect his swing. Still, his leash isn’t infinite. And the longer this rut continues, the harder it will be for the Dodgers to justify giving him regular — if any — playing time.
Q. What have you learned or have been surprised by about Shohei Ohtani while watching him play every day. I’ve watched baseball for more than 40 years and when he connects solidly, the ball sounds different off his bat than for anyone else.
Harris: The exit velos are impressive (even after covering the 2021 Angels, it’s not something you ever quite get used to) but I’ve also noticed how he seems to revel in big moments.
Facing Clayton Kershaw in the first at-bat of an All-Star game? How about a big first-pitch swing.
Pitching to Mike Trout in the last at-bat of the WBC? A swing-and-miss slider to clinch a Japanese championship.
The latest example came this weekend, when Ohtani responded to boos in Toronto with his team-leading seventh home run of the season.
Granted, there are still key situations where he struggles (such as his six-for-34 mark with runners in scoring position). And thanks to the Angels’ struggles while he was in Anaheim, his MLB career hasn’t included many high-leverage moments.
But in a small sample, he hasn’t shied away from the spotlight. And on a Dodgers team with World Series aspirations, the club will need that to translate in clutch spots later this season.
The bottom of the lineup
We’ll keep track of this throughout the season, because I have a feeling this is going to be crucial when the postseason comes around. Here are the best and worst team batting averages for the Nos. 7-9 spots in the batting order:
1. Angels, .298
2. Atlanta, .282
3. Milwaukee, .279
4. NY Mets, .276
5. NY Yankees, .272
The Angels have been terrible this season, but they have the best bottom of the lineup so far. Of course, on Sunday they started a guy hitting .140 in the cleanup spot and the No. 5 batter was hitting .155.
26. Chicago White Sox, .196
27. St. Louis, .196
28. Dodgers, .189
29. Miami, .181
30. Oakland, .166
The Dodgers are 18-12. The other four teams listed above are a combined 40 games below .500. It’s like the old game, “Which of these things is not like the other?”
Let’s look at the Dodgers in the Nos. 7-9 spots individually:
No. 7 (mainly James Outman): .157/.224/.217
No. 8 (Lux, Taylor and Rojas): .198/.244/.297
No. 9 (Lux, Barnes and Rojas): .215/.276/.308
Combined: .189/.247/.273
Don Drysdale, career as a batter: .186/.228/.295
Up next
Tuesday: Dodgers (Landon Knack, 1-1, 3.27 ERA) at Arizona (*Jordan Montgomery, 1-1, 2.77 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ
Wednesday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2-1, 3.54 ERA) at Arizona (TBD), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ
*-left-handed
Confirmed for Wednesday’s start
Gallen (hamstring) will make his regularly scheduled start Wednesday against the Dodgers, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Gallen’s bullpen session earlier in the day went well, and skipper Torey Lovullo confirmed late Monday evening that the right-hander will indeed take the mound Wednesday after exiting his previous outing Friday due to hamstring spasms. Gallen owns a 3.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with a 35:9 K:BB across 32 innings this season.
So a year after Outman finished 3rd in ROY voting–earning a $500,000 bonus–you are now crowing that he’s becoming a “4th or 5th outfielder, just like I said.”
Oh wise one! We are not worthy!
So what is your prediction for Miguel Vargas these days? Are you bullish or bearish? Is he the Left Fielder of the Future?
Or–dare I say it?–could he be trade bait?
It’s great that Andy Pages is off to such a terrific start–but let’s remember that Outman had the faster start in ’23, winding up as Rookie of the Month. Can Pages keep it up? I trust we are all rooting for him, but perhaps some of us are rooting more than others….
Of course Outman isn’t the only young player slumping. Corbin Carroll, who looked like a budding superstar as last year’s NL ROY, is batting in the bottom of the D’backs order.
The Dbacks are of course giving Carroll the opportunity to work through his slump. Last seasonthe Dodgers gave Outman the time to work through his slump, and he did just that, finishing with an OPS of .790. But this season, his struggles have him losing ABs to Kike and Taylor.
When will Heyward be back?
Interesting analysis of Yamamoto’s fastball. Is his fastball more vulnerable than other comparable MLB pitcher fastballs with similar velocity? Dodgerrick seemed to think his fastball lacked movement. I postulated that his lack of extension effected the perceived velocity. Either way, the Stuff+ model rates his FA at 85, which isn’t very good, and hitters are waiting on it. He’s going to have to locate and sequence a little better. Still, subtracting his terrible first outing, he’s been pretty good.
https://youtu.be/R-x9KIwwX4w?si=j3-uvd2ZfhDVDbOy&t=363
Playoff pitcher in Montgomery tonight. Let’s see how we respond.
I agree we have the pitching in the system if they ever get healthy. Kelly is just exasperating. Comes out throwing darts last night. His stuff last night is why he is here. But I would be scared in a playoff game to count on him. He could walk the bases loaded and give up a grand slam or strike out the side. If pages keeps his k rate down(hasn’t walked) he will probably become the cf. outman is better defensively and more speed but just ks way too much. Taylor wow! Don’t know can Friedman trade for another bad contract. Idk I have always liked him but this is about 2 years or more of no offense.
Hang with CT3, guy is clutch and his defense NEVER slumps.
He is a valuable piece who will be there come October. Stick with em!
Agree on the bullpen. No need to worry at this stage of the season. Lots of big arms about to return sooner or later.
However: I would like them to pick up a shutdown LHP for our pen at some point of the season.
Vesia alone probably will not cut it against the better teams like the Braves.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark –
Wanted to voice my support for you and thank you for all the hard work you put into making the this the best sports website I have seen. I also follow multiple college football and basketball sites and they do not deliever the quality discourse that this one does. As a former Mayor, I have dealt with more than a few who added nothing to the public discourse on issues and simply ignored them for what they were – “gadflies!” Keep up the good work…
And you didn’t even mention Buehler. If we can get and keep our staff relatively healthy, it’s WS worthy. Pages for ROY? I seem to remember a certain 4th or 5th outfielder having quite an April last year. Too early to tell. Let’s see where he’s at by the end of May. But so far, I love him! As far as Taylor, Lux and Outman, we still have time for them to figure it out. We’re playing for October, not September.
DODGERS MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Ryan Ward wins Pacific Coast League player of the week
Dodgers minor league OF hit .474/.524/1.316 with 5 home runs and 11 RBI in 5 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City.On the season, Ward ranks second in the PCL in both home runs (10) and RBI (29), and his fourth in slugging percentage (.667).
Can’t tell if I love or hate this new mini-Twitter feed thing.
Tuesday Dodger Minor League Schedule
Oklahoma City Buehler vs. Salt Lake Rosenberg (Angels)
Tulsa Wrobleski vs. Springfield Hence(Cardinals)
Great Lakes Ferris at Wisconsin Kueher(Brewers)
Rancho Cucamonga Payton Martin at Modesto TBA (Mariners)
Hopefully this is Walker’s last rehab start before he joins the Dodger rotation
At some point they have to pull the plug on Taylor. How much longer are they going to ride it out? Would love to see the Dodgers give Vargas another shot in left field. He seems to have found his stroke again. I’m ready for an outfield of Vargas, Pages, and Hernandez. I’m with you Mark, I never thought Outman was more then a number 4 or 5 outfielder.
Thanks again for keeping your site up and running. I always look forward to the new content.